Switch for electrical tram-cars



5 Sheets Sheet. 1.

(No'ModeL) M.- IMMISGH. SWITCH FOR ELECTRICAL TEAM CARS.

Patented Feb. 7, 1893;

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(No Model. 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I M. IMMISCH Q SWITGH FOB. ELEGTRIGALTRAM GA'RS.

No. 491,483. I Patentpd, Feb; 7,1893.

IN VEIVTOR W/TNESSES:

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(No Modl.)

M. IMMISCH. SWITCH FOR ELEOTRIGAL' TRAM ems.

Patented Feb. 7, 1893.

WITNESSES:

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Shet 4.. M. IM MISG H'. SWITGH-FORYBLEOTRIGA'L TEAM (JARS.

No. 491,483. Patentedjleb 7, 1893.

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(No XodeL) 5 Sheets- -Sheet 5.

M. IMMISGH SWITCH POR-BLEGTRIGAL TEAM CARS. No. 491.483. Y Patentpd Feb. 7,1893.

WITNESSES:

WW r M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORITZ IMMISOH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE IMMISOH ELEC- TRIO NAVIGATION AND POWER COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRICAL TRAM-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,483, dated February '7, 1893.

Application filed November 21, 1891. erial No. 412,675. (No model.) Patented in England September '7, 1889, No. 14,114.

To all whom it may concern: car, the switch not in use is bound to be in Be it known that I, MORITZ IMMIsoH, a citithe position it occupies when the circuit is zen of Great Britain,and a resident of London, broken. The axis B, to receive the operating in the county of Middlesex, England, haveinhandle, is supported so that it can turn in 5 vented a new and useful Improvement in suitable bearings in the switch box A, and to Switches for Electrical Tram-Oars, (patented it is secured the make and break lever C, in England September 7, 1889, No. 14,114,) of which can turn in an arc of a circle of: one which the following, taken in connection with hundred and eighty degrees. On either side the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, of the central position of the make and break i0 and accurate description. lever O, and in its line of travel, is arranged The object of the present invention is to a series of terminals of resistances 1,2, 8, 4, 5, provide a simple and eflicient self-locking the terminals on opposite sides being conswitch for use in electrical tram cars, and nected together in pairs by the bars or rods which may be employed either for enabling D, so that when the lever O, is moved from I 5 the motor to be reversed,or two sets of accusuch central position into contact with the mulators which supply the current to the mofirst terminal 5 in either direction, the circuit tor to be placed in series or in parallel at will. will be completed, and as the lever 0, con- The switch insures the locking of the parts tinues its movementthe resistances connected for effecting the necessary changes in any powith the respective terminals will be success- 2o sition to which they have been shifted, that ively cut out. As the lever O is moved back is to say on one side or other of a central poto the central position, the resistance will be sition, or in the central position, when the cirsuccessively introduced, until the circuit is cuit is broken. a broken.

The invention is illustrated in the accom- So as to insure the contact pieces of the ter- 25 panying drawings, in which minals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, not being damaged by Figure I, is a vertical section through the sparking as the contact is made and the reswitch-boX, showing the switch in elevation sistances are successively cut out, the followtherein. Fig. II, is a transverse section ing arrangement is employed: Upon the front through the center of the switch. Figs. III, of the make and break lever O, is pivoted a go and IV, are detail views of the locking device, holder E carrying a steel rod F, such holder showing the parts in different positions. Figs. being acted upon bya spring G, so as to hold V and VI, are diagrammatic views of the conthe rod in its normal position. In advance of nections of a switch for placing two sets of each of the terminals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, in the direcaccumulators in series or parallel as desired, tion in which the make and break lever O, 35 Fig. V, showing the switch in the position it moves in completing the circuit and cutting occupies when the accumulators are conout the resistances, each of such terminals is nected in series, and Fig. VI, the position of provided with a holder H, carrying a rod I, such switch when the accumulators are consituated in the same plane as the rod F on lenected in parallel. Figs. VII and VIII are ver G, will pass through when it is moved 9o 0 diagrammatic views of the connections of a with such lever. When lever O, is moved in switch for reversing an electro-motor, such either direction from the central position, the views showing respectively the two positions rod F it carries, will first come in contact ,of the switch when the motor runs in oppowith rod 1, carried by terminal 5, and in the site directions. continued movement of .lever G, will cause 5 5 The handle for operating the switch is inthe holder E of such rod F, to turn on its troduced through an opening a, in the switch pivot e, against the act-i011 of spring G,before box A, such opening and also the handle bethe contact piece 0, of lever O, can come into ing so shaped that the latter can only be Withcontact with terminal 5. The rods F and I, drawn when the circuit is broken, and as only will thus first complete the circuit and so re- IOO 50 one handle is provided to operate the two ceive the spark. As lever O is again moved switches situated at opposite ends of the tram toward the next terminal 4, holder E of rod F will turn still farther on its pivot e, against the action of spring G, until rod F can clear the inner end of rod I, when the tension of such spring will cause the holder to suddenly resume its normal position in relation to lever C, which by this time is in such a position that rod F is thereby brought suddenly into contact with the next rod I of terminal 4, thus cutting out the resistance between terminals at and 5 before contact piece 0 of lever 0, comes in contact with terminal 4. The same action takes place as each of the resistances is cut out, so that any sparking which may occur, will be between the rods F and I, and the contacts themselves will remain undamaged, while when damaged the rods F and I can be readily removed from their holders and replaced by new ones.

Mounted so thatit can turn freely upon the axis B, of the make and break lever C, is a disk J, carrying two separate pairs of contact pieces L, L, which (in the case of an accumulator switch) act in conjunction with four terminals 6, 7, 8, 9, arranged in the other half of the switch box A, to that in which the make and break lever 0 turns, and these terminals 6, 7, 8, 9, are connected so as to enable two sets of accumulators X, X, (see Figs. V and VI) of the carto be placed in series or in parallel as desired, when the disk J is shifted so as to bring its contact pieces L, L, into contact with the proper terminals.

In the case of a switch for reversing the motor, five terminals 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, (see Figs. VII and VIII) will be necessary, and these will also have to be suitably connected as hereinafter described.

The contact pieces L, L, of the disk J, are so arranged in relation to the terminals 6, '7, S, 9 or 10,1l,12,13,1l, (as the case may be,) that when the make and break lever C is in its middle or central position,they are out of contact with such terminals,in conjunction with which they operate, as will be seen in Figs. I and III. On the vertical axis of the disk J when in this position and near its periphery,is pivoted an anchor piece M, the outer surface of which is recessed in the center of m, while at each end is an inwardly projecting tooth m.

Upon the make and break lever C, is a part or projection c which fits the recess m, in the outer surface of the anchor M when the lever C and the disk J are in their central positions, while the anchor M is prevented from turning on its pivot m by the teeth m on its inner surface resting on the periphery of a fixed disk N within which the axis B of the make and break lever O can turn, so that at this point the anchor M and consequently the disk J upon which it is pivoted, are locked to the make and break lever C. In this position, as above stated, the circuit is broken, and the contact pieces L, L, of the disk J, are out of contact with their terminals. Upon the make and break lever 0 being turned either to the right or to the left, the anchor M and its disk J, are carried with it, thus bringing the contact pieces L, L, of the latter, into contact with the proper terminals for effecting the required change, but still leaving the circuit broken, as at this position the make and break lever O has not yet come into contact with the first terminal 5 in its path. In this position also one end of the anchor piece M comes into contact with a projection n formed on the fixed disk N above-referred to, so that it can no longer move with the make and break lever 0, and the contact disk J to which the anchor M is pivoted,is therefore also prevented from turning farther around the central axis B in this direction. At the point where the movement of the anchor M is arrested, the fixed disk N has a recess a formed in its periphery opposite the position then occupied by the end tooth m (in the directionof itsprevious movement) of the anchor M, and the continued movement of the central axis B to which the make and break lever C is secured, causes the projection c on such lever to bear upon one side of the recess on, into which it fits in the outer surface of the anchor M, and thus compels the latter to turn on its pivot m and its tooth m to enter the recess 01 in the periphery of the fixed disk N. By thus turning upon its pivot m one end of the anchor M is lowered until the projection c on the make and break lever O, clears the recess m,in the outer surface thereof, and can consequently continue its movement with the central axis B independently of the anchor M and its contact disk J, and thus be brought successively into contact with the resistance terminals 5, 4,3,2,1, the resistances connected with which are consequently cut out in succession after the first contact is made, and as the lever C completes it movement.

The projection c on the make and break lever O rides over the anchor piece M, and still engages the end of same when it has completed its movement (as shown in Fig. IV), so that the tooth m of the anchor piece M, cannot leave the recess m it has engaged in the fixed disk ITS, and consequently the contact disk J to which such anchor piece M is pivoted, is locked in the position to which it has been moved to make the desired connection.

IVhen desired to change the connections or to break the circuit, the reverse operations occur, the movement of the make and break lever O in the opposite direction first introducing a gradually increasing resistance as it passes in succession over the resistance terminals 1, 2, 3, at, 5, until it leaves the last terminal 5 and breaks the circuit, when the proj ection c on such lever C, will engage the forward end of the recess m, in the anchor piece M, and cause the latter to turn on its pivot on thus disengaging its tooth on from the recess of in the fixed disk N, and causing the auchor M to again lock with the make and break lever O. The make and break lever C will then carry the anchor M and the contact disk J to which it is pivoted, with it during the rest of its movement to the central position,

when the key can be withdrawn from the switch box if desired.

To change the connections, the make and break lever G will be moved to the opposite side of its central position, when exactly the same actions as described in the previous movement will occur.

Referring to Figs. V and VI, it will be seen that in the case of an accumulator switch, the switch terminal 6 is connected to the terminal of one set of accumulators X; terminal 7 to the terminal of the other set of accumulators X 5 terminal 8 to the terminal of the set of accumulators X; and terminal 9 to one terminal of the motor Z, which is also connected to the terminal of the set of accumulators X, while the other terminal of such motor is connected to the first resistance terminal I. The pair of contact pieces L of the switch is connected to the switch lever O, and when this pair rests on the terminal 6 only, while the pair L rests on terminals 7 and 8, as shown in Fig. V, the two sets of accumulators X, X, will be connected in series, while when the pair of contact pieces L, rests on terminals 6 and 7 and the pair L rests on terminals 8 and 9, such accumulators will be connected in parallel, as shown in Fig. VI.

Referring to Figs. VII and VIII, it will be seen that in the case of a switch for reversing the motor Z, the switch terminal 10, is connect-ed to terminal 14:, and the latter to one terminal of the field of the motor Z; terminal 11 is connected to the switch lever 05 terminal 12 is connected to the other terminal of the field of the motor Z; terminal 13 is connected to one terminal of the armature of motor Z, and the other terminal of such armature is connected to the terminal of the accumulators X, while the terminal of such accumulators is connected to resistance terminall.

When the pair of contact pieces L rests on terminals 10 and 11 and the pair L on the terminals 12 and 13, as shown in Fig. VII, the motor Z will run in one direction, while when (as shown in FigfVIIl) the pair of contact pieces L rests on terminals 11 and 12 and the pair L on the terminals 18 and 14, as will be seen by the arrows the direction of current through the field of the motor Z will be reversed, and the motor will therefore run in the opposite direction.

.Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

In a switch, the combination with the make and break or switch lever, of an oscillating disk, as J, on the axis of the switch lever, carrying contact pieces to work in conjunction with terminal contacts for making the desired changes, a pivoted anchor, as M, on said oscillating disk, having a recess in its outer surface, a fixed disk, as N, on the axis of the switch lever, having recesses to alternately receive and engage one of the teeth of said anchor, and a projection, as c on the switch lever, to engage said recess of the anchor, the whole adapted to operate substantially as herein described, for the purpose set forth.

MORITZ IMMISOH.

Witnesses:

CHAS. A. ALLISON, HARRY A. MCLELLAN. 

